Food Wines

Some wines go well with some foods. Some other wines go well with almost no foods. And, then there are some wines that go well with lots of foods. What common bond do they have?

In order to figure that out, let's consider which wines tend to go with lots of foods. Among the whites, I think of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, Gruner Veltliner, and certainly some others, but that is a pretty good list for starters. Among the reds, let's start with Pinot Noir and continue with the likes of Grenache/Garnacha, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and there are a bunch of others we could certainly add.

Noticeably missing are what I believe to be the two most popular varietals in the US, perhaps not by sales, but by mention -- Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. What's going on here? What do those first sets of grapes have that the last two don't and what do the last two have that the rest tend to be missing.

Food wines as a group do not overwhelm food -- pretty much any food. They tend to have naturally high acidity, lighter tannins if red and less body if white. We drink the a bit cooler than others and in some cases, at least among some drinkers, they really need food to make them work.

So, and keeping this brief today, suppose you are having a dish and you just have no idea what to drink with it. While it might not be a perfect guide, following this will get you going generally in the right direction.

Look at the color of the food. White goes with white. Dark goes with dark. And, while it's not foolproof, more acidity tends to complement more foods.

Simple enough, huh?